09 May 2014

The Order of the Bath Service

The Queen attended the Service of the Order of the Bath at Westminster Abbey.

Video, above. For more: Article from the BBC, video and article from the Telegraph, pictures in the link in the tweet below from the Daily Mail, gallery from Zimbio.
Daytime tiara, as promised! And as expected, the Queen stuck with her favorite tiara, a Queen Mary piece accompanied by earrings from Queen Mary's collection as well. Unusually, I see no diamond bracelet on her right wrist.

This appearance made news today because the Queen ended up pulling out of one part of the service, a task that would have required her to go up and down a set of steep stairs while juggling her Angela Kelly evening gown, her mantle and other insignia, and the weight of the tiara. (The Prince of Wales, who is Great Master of the Order, stepped in instead.) Palace aides said it was purely for her comfort, but it is of course making headlines. To me, this is neither surprising nor particularly concerning - she's 88, and she's human. She was still able to attend and be active in the rest of the service, which is a good sign.